JOIN USYour old silk saree may fetch a prize
Do you still have a silk saree that has retained its sheen? If yes, it may fetch you a prize in the contest organised by Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation (KSIC), Mysore.
The contest, in its 10th year, is open only for the customers of KSIC, who have sarees that date back to 1974 and beyond. A five-member committee of experts will examine the sarees to ascertain their period of production and allied matters before deciding the winners.
While the top two winners will get a cash prize of Rs 15,000, 25 participants will be given consolation prizes. A coupon for Rs 1,000 will be given to each contestant.
The prize-winning sarees will be exhibited this year from September 25 to October 31 at the newly built Centenary Hall on the factory premises. A painting expo tracing the history of silk and also photographs will be the additional features.
General Manager of KSIC, Mysore, B S Sadananda Swamy, told Deccan Herald that the intention behind the contest was to create awareness about the distinctive quality of the saree woven in the indigenous setup.
The contestants may submit their sarees for competition at the sales outlets on the factory premises near Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens and in Garuda Mall in Mysore, besides Channapatna; and MG Road, Janata Bazaar, Malleswaram, Jayanagar, Gandhi Bazaar and Basaveshwara Nagar in Bangalore.
For the benefit of inter-state participants, arrangements will be made to receive the sarees at the sales outlets in Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Chennai. The entries will also be received through parcel.
Claiming that the contest has been constantly attracting customers, Swamy said that on an average 350 to 400 sarees were received every year. In some cases, contestants have not provided details of the saree (production and its purchase year).
The expert committee would then ascertain the fact with the help of the printed code.
Most of the sarees that have won prizes belong to 1948. During Jamboo Savari, the last leg of Dasara, the tableau of KSIC will depict the concept of ‘Silk yard to garment’, Swamy added.